Wat is het belang van een functioneel design?

Design schreeuwt om een smaakoordeel. Niet-designers vellen al snel een oordeel als ‘ziet er goed uit’ of ‘dat vind ik niet mooi’. Dit smaakoordeel is heel menselijk en gaat vooral over de esthetische aantrekkelijkheid van een design. Is het design mooi en past het bij mijn stijl en smaak? Doordat er in designtrajecten vaak eerst naar de esthetische kant gekeken wordt, komt de andere kant van de design-medaille vaak ongewenst op de achtergrond, namelijk functionaliteit. Een functioneel design zorgt dat het aansluit bij de behoeften en doelen van de doelgroep. Een sterk design, van een bedrijfsauto tot een billboard, is in eerste instantie functioneel en doelmatig.

Brand design is more than just taste

When people talk about brand design, the logo is often the first thing that comes to mind. However, brand design is so much more than that. Colors, shapes, structures, typography, and imagery can completely transform a brand.

3 minutes

May 17, 2021

Christy van der Sman

A brand becomes recognizable when the logo, in combination with all design elements, is consistently applied. Whether it's the design of a brochure, website, or product, everything forms a total experience, which we call brand image. It's the impression your brand makes on people. But how do you ensure that your brand leaves the right impression? And how do you assess whether a design is good or not during the creation of your brand image?

what's your opinion, Vandeez?

Design calls for a taste judgment. Non-designers often quickly judge it as 'looks good' or 'I don't like that.' This taste judgment is very human and is mainly about the aesthetic appeal of a design. Is the design beautiful, and does it match my style and taste? Because design projects often start with an aesthetic focus, the other side of the design coin, functionality, often undesirably recedes into the background. A functional design ensures that it aligns with the needs and goals of the target audience. A strong design is primarily functional and purposeful.

it's not about whether the design is beautiful or not

A simple yet effective example of this comes from Wessel Jansen in his blog "You Can Argue About Design." In this blog, he shows the difference between the advertising brochures of De Bijenkorf and Action. Both brands convey the same message: discounts. However, they do so with a completely different look: 'sale' vs. 'ACTION!' Through well-thought-out design choices related to logo, color, shape, and typography, both brands engage their target audience and achieve their goals. It's not about whether the design is beautiful or not.

Functional Beauty

So, in a design project, make sure that the design aligns with the needs and goals of the target audience before considering aesthetic appeal. For a powerful brand image:

Everything aligns with the needs of your target audience
Everything is interconnected
There is consistent application

Does your entire brand image meet these criteria? Then you know that you have a visual identity that creates distinctiveness, recognition, and sympathy. A visual identity that adds value to your brand. A visual identity with functional beauty.